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Dakotasunbeam -> RE: Anyone here a Profet/Profetess? (5/7/2008 1:11:40 PM)
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christgirl,
Do not be decieved. The doctrine that there are no more prophets is wrong--it is a false doctrine that has been flying around the church for a while now. There are STILL prophets in the church. People who have a special gift of prophecy are often known as prophets. Apostleship still exists too.
4:11
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: --Ephesians 4:11-12
It is for the saints. As long as there are saints, they will need to be equipped and we are told that the whole reason He gave these offices/gifts were for the perfecting of the saints. To suggest otherwise would be to make the Bible out to be a lie.
In fact it was foretold in the Old Testament quoted again in Acts:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: --2:17
In fact, if you read in that scripture, it says IN THE LAST DAYS, which, I think we are living. Like the other gifts, it endures. They are gifts of the Spirit, as can be seen. God said he would pour out His SPIRIT on all flesh, hence, these gifts of the Spirit, which include prophecy are given to all believers regardless of gender or age as described, and also IN THE LAST DAYS.
Some people do abuse such thing gifts (or the idea anyway), because I'm not sure if you can abuse a gift like that. If someone REALLY does have the gift of prophecy, you will know because what they say will come to pass. If they are telling a lie or guessed, or whatever, then you will know because it will NOT happen. In fact, the Bible does give some clear definitions on prophets. Here's the guideline, its found in Deuteronomy 13:1-4 You can also find a little on it in Numbers 14: Here's an excerpt from Deuteronomy:
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
13:2
And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
13:3
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
13:4
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. --Deut 13:1-4
Check out Deut 18, Numbers 12:6, Deut 13:1-6. 1st Cor 12, 14, James 3:18, Acts 12:9-10. Read these all, and study them. It will help you. Do not believe the false doctrines going around--read what it says in the BILBLE. God told us to study to show yourself approved. It is our job to dig into His word and find those answers. Definately, ask for help from a mature believer, or at least, ask for scriptures to point you in the right direction. Man can err, but God's word never does. Read the scriptures I've given you.
Also a little thing to note. You should read Acts, especially the story of Paul's journey and his interaction with Agbus the prophet. Agbus rightly prophesied, but his conclusions were wrong. You see a prophet may SEE something in the future that is TRUE, but that does not mean he/she is qualified to ADVISE you on how to go. Additionally, that person may not fully understand what is is that will transpire. Remember, we see in part, as through a glass darkly. So they may tell you that they see you talking to a group of people about God, they may jump to the conclusion that God has made you a "great evangelist" that may not necessarily be true. What may actually occur, is that you are ransomed in a third world country and preach the gospel to a roup of rebels living in the jungle. But they were not shown all of this. Maybe what they showed you was enough for you to know that you need to study the "gospel salvation message" better so that you can present it accurately and thoroughly to someone. Only later will you find out exactly how that transpired. Read Acts, about Paul's journey. Read how the brethern warned him NOT to go to Jeruselem, and that even though God had told him to go, the prophet prophesyed doom.
Someone can legitimately be called as a prophet, but NOT know how to deliever the message. I think that is part of the reason Prophets get such a bad rep in the Church. Well, because we say the gift doesn't exist, despite scripture after scripture that says otherwise. Then the individual has to go "underground" in the church. Seeking to be obedient, they may approach someone and tell them "a word." It might be true, but they have no fellowship, sheparding, discipleship, and confirmation in this gifting so they deliver it WRONG. They include their advice, what they think, etc. etc. The person they "prophesied" to is worste off than before they came--even if the news is good.
Whenever you have a supression or a diefication of a gifting in a church, that means something is off balance. As believers we do not have the liberty to pick and choose what part of the Bible we will accept. Simply put, if you do not know how something operates, that does not mean it is not valid. It simply means you should not comment on the matter and leave it to others better qualified than yourself. That is my general rule, anyway.
All gifts are in full effect as long as there is equipping necessary, and believe me, we've got a long way to go to equip the body. Study those scriptures I gave you prayerfully. God will show you, if you will listen with a yeilded and obedient heart.
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